Apollo House occupiers 'won't leave until every person in the building is housed'

Homeless campaigners in Apollo House say the supports being offered to people are not good enough.

Home Sweet Home delivered a petition with more than 4,000 signatures to the Department of Finance earlier.

It called on the Minister to use NAMA to use their vacant buildings to provide social housing.

Apollo House resident Mitzalo Reys says the services being offered to homeless people need to improve: "Dublin City Council is telling you to sleep out there, sleep on the streets, get cold, get wet and they are ignoring your basic human rights such as the use of a toilet.

"I think it’s a basic necessity to use a toilet and yet what do we homeless people do? We have to use a back lane. Pull our trousers down in a back lane. That’s what the Government is offering us."

Independent TD Mattie McGrath has been accused of misogyny after saying that the abortion debate isn't over until the fat lady sings, before quipping "and I'm not talking about the chairperson of the Committee or anyone like that".